Sweeter Than Honey

Sweeter Than Honey

Our fast-paced society and life-styles don’t have room for the elderly, the sick, the disabled, the wounded. We are on the Highway To Success and have no time to stop!

And then this happened….

Sharing is Caring, especially if it’s honey.

During summer school this year my daughter Christina got one of her fingers fractured (yes, a very scary thing for a piano-family), and now we are having to deal with these endless visits to hand-surgeons.

Anyway, 2 weeks ago we were at the Arizona Center for Hand Surgery first thing in the morning for another follow-up appointment. After talking with the surgeon, I felt rushed and in a hurry, because Christina had to go to school and so did my other kids.

Christina has Down syndrome, and that syndrome is apparently connected with not having any concept of time, hurry and rush…..

…..so we were walking through the hallways, when Christina spotted an old man in a wheelchair whose arm was badly injured. It was bleeding, swollen and looked extremely painful. I briefly looked at him, but was trying to get to the EXIT doors, so we could continue on our “Highway To Success.”

However, Christina stopped dead in her tracks, walked over to him, put her hand softly on his shoulders and asked: ”Are you ok? Do you need some help?”….then she continued: “Oh, you poor thing, everything will be ok. I love you. I love you. I love you….” saying it louder each time.

Nurse asking question while Christina is making sure the old man is ok

That alone nearly brought me to tears. I was standing behind the old man and somewhat off to the side, because I didn’t want to be rude and making him feel like we are intruding. Then I overheard all the questions the nurse started asking him, and sadness filled my heart, and I could no longer hold back the tears. The nurse asked:

Do you have a wife? The old man answered with a soft NO.

Do you have children. His answer was an even softer NO.

Do you have any family? Again, his answer was NO….I have no one, I am all alone!

No wife, no children, no family, no one who cared for him or loved him.

But in that moment my daughter Christina cared about him, she felt his pain and sensed that his heart and soul needed some sweet honey. She had compassion and gave him her love and her soft and gentle touch.

My young daughter with Down syndrome, showed an act of kindness, love and compassion that I bet none of us typical people would have given.

She gave her time, when none of us would have stopped our fast-paced lives.